Meatball Patty Melts and Fire Roasted Coleslaw

This dinner was so yummy - the patty melts really do taste like meatballs and the marinara ketchup was to die for! I would love to make this meal again for guests. The original amounts of beef/pork were way too much for us. I used 3/4 lb total meats combined and it made 4 patties so I adjusted the recipe below to just 1/2 lb total of the meats combined.  But all in all both the sammies and the coleslaw were incredible.

Meatball Patty Melts, for 2

ingredients

Warm Ketchup...
• 1/8 cup tomato paste
• 1/8 cup beef stock
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 7.5 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 5 leaves fresh basil, torn

Burgers...
• 1 slice white bread, crumbled
• milk to soak the bread
• 1/4 lb ground beef
• 1/4 lb ground pork
• S&P
• 1/8 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 1/2 tbsp grated onion
• 1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano, grated
• EVOO
• 4 slices bread
• Melted garlic butter
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup shredded swiss

directions
1. Start off by making the warm ketchup: Combine tomato paste, beef stock & garlic in a small pot over low heat. Stir until combined. Add the tomato sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, oregano and red pepper and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring. Add the basil and keep the pot over low heat, simmering for 20 minutes. The sauce will thicken. Keep warm.

2. Now start making those burgas:  Using a food processor pulse the bread (remove the crusts) until crumbled. Soak the bread crumbles in milk to soften. Add the ground meats to a medium size bowl then drain the bread crumbles using your hands (squeezing) and add to the same bowl. Season with S&P, add parsley, garlic, onion, and grated cheese: using your hands mix until just combined.

3. Form into 2 equal patties and make a thumbprint in the center for even cooking. Preheat a grill pan over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, drizzle  bit of olive oil and cook the patties, turning once for a total of 8 - 9 minutes for medium rare.

4. In a small saucepan bring 2 tbsp butter and 1 clove garlic, smashed to a simmer. Brush one side of each slice of bread with the garlic butter. With butter sides facing out, assemble the sammies. Starting with the warm ketchup, the mozzarella, meat, swiss and more ketchup, ending with the remaining slices of bread. Grill the sammies in a skillet/grill pan until golden and the cheese is melty and gooey.

Fire Roasted Coleslaw, for 2

ingredients

• 1/4 head green cabbage, quartered

• 3 scallions 

• 1/2 tbsp EVOO

• Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

• 1 1/2 tbsp mayo

• 1 1/2 tbsp rice wine

• 1/2 cup shredded carrots

directions

1.  Preheat the grill to medium high and brush the cabbage and green onions with olive oil, S&P.

2. Grill the cabbage cut side down first on each side for 2-4 minutes until slightly charred. Grill the scallions for 2 minutes until charred slightly as well. Remove from grill and let cool. 

3. Once slightly cool, remove the core from the cabbage and thinly slice with the onions. 

4. Whisk the mayo, rice wine and EVOO together and add the cabbage, onions and carrots - toss to combine. Season to taste with S&P.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

Trail Mix Granola Snack

This is a bit of a short cut in ingredients if you buy the pre made stuff but the extras that you add to it make it a really fantastic snack. I was wondering how the raisins would come out after baking in the oven for 30 minutes and they were just fine! Here's how I made it...

Granola Snack

ingredients

• cooking spray
• 1/2 cup PURE maple syrup (yeah it's pricey but it' so worth it)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg white
• 1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups store bought trail mix (the one I picked up had almonds, granola, raisins, oats & honey)
• 2 cups old fashioned oats

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325º and spray a large foil lined baking sheet with the cooking spray.

2. In a bowl whisk the syrup, sugar, egg, cinnamon and salt together, then stir in the oats and trail mix.

3. Spread the mixture in an even layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula and bake for 10 more minutes. Let cook and store in a Ziploc, jar or Tupperware container at room temperature.

This will make 6 cups of granola.

It's easy and fast to make - I will definitely make this again especially for cabin/camping/hiking trips. I would steer away from buying any trail mix that has chocolate in it as that will melt away and make a mess when you bake them mix.

Enjoy!

This recipe adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray.

Cheesy Tortellini & Kale Salad with Carrots & Candied Pecans

Dinner last night was really good - I was so tired from a long day at work and really didn't feel like cooking at all. But, when Q got home, we both got in the kitchen and cooked this one together (side note - I am so lucky!). It's really a simple meal and doesn't take more than 45 minutes from start to finish. The pasta needed a little help from the original recipe so I've added those notes in the ingredients. 

Kale Salad with Carrots & Candied Pecans

serves 6

Kale Salad with Candied Pecans and Carrots

ingredients

• 1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

• 2 tsp wildflower honey

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 10 cups stemmed and torn kale

• 1 cup carrots, shredded

• 1 cup candied pecans

• Kosher Salt & freshly ground black pepper

directions

1. In a small jar with a tight fitting lid, add the first 4 ingredients and shake vigorously until well combined. Set aside.

2. Wash and spin dry the kale, place in a large bowl with the shredded carrots. Add the dressing and toss, let stand for 10-20 minutes then toss again. Season with S&P and add the nuts when serving.

Now onto the pasta portion of the meal...

Cheesy Tortellini

serves 4

Cheesy tortellini with garden cherry tomatoes, chives & garlic

ingredients
• 19 oz frozen cheese tortellini
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
• zest of 1 lemon
• 2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher Salt & freshly ground black pepper

directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta, set aside.

2. Heat the heavy cream, garlic and lemon zest over medium low until simmering. Add the pasta and toss until coated, then remove from heat.

3. Add the tomatoes, chives and Parmesan cheese... stir until well combined adding some pasta water to loosen the sauce if it gets too thick. Season with Salt & Pepper to taste. Top with a bit more Parmesan and chives when serving.

While the tortellini wasn't the most amazing pasta dish I've ever had before - it was tasty. I added some extra seasonings to give it more punch as I thought it was bland while I was cooking. I used cherry tomatoes and chives straight from my garden - always a thrill! The salad was phenomenal - I think I'll use Kale every time now... it is sooo good. The trick is to let the dressing sit on the Kale for a bit to help soften it up. Yum!!! The combination of salty and sweet really plays well in this salad... next time I'd like to add some blue cheese and omit the salt from the recipe - that sounds like a dream, if you like blue cheese ;-)!

Enjoy!

Both recipes adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray.

Sesame Beef Noodle Salad

I wrapped up the week cooking from PW's book with this tasty dish. Now that I've made this meal I would say it would be a great meal to make on a Sunday afternoon and use it for your lunches during the work week. It's pretty simple actually once you prep everything and grill the steak. PW uses Ponzu sauce which is kind of a citrusy soy sauce but I didn't have any so I substituted low sodium soy sauce. Make sure you don't over cook the steak otherwise it will be tough and not as delicious as it could be. I also used a top sirloin steak but I'm sure you can use any cut of lean steak that you like. Instead of lighting up the grill, I just used a grill pan with the grated side facing up.

Sesame Beef Noodle Salad

ingredients

• 8 oz asian noodles such as udon
• 1/8 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp hot chili oil
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced (only use white & light green parts)

• 1 1/2" sirloin steak (mine was pretty thick)
• 1 cup cilantro leaves

directions

1.  Mix the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot chili oil, canola oil and 1/8 cup water in a large bowl. Reserve 2-3 tbsp of the dressing and pour in plastic bag.

2.  Grill the steak until medium rare, 2-3 minutes per side. Note: Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your steak. Remember the meat will still cook as it rests on the plate. Let steak rest for 5-10 minutes at room temperature. Add the steak to the plastic bag and let marinate in fridge for 2-3 hours. Slice the steak thinly against the grain.

3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to the package instructions.

4. Toss the cooked noodles with the rest of the dressing, then toss in the cilantro leaves. Serve in shallow bowls and lay strips of steak on top along with some sliced green onions.

It's really an interesting combination of Asian flavors in a bowl... the cold noodles and steak make this a really delicious salad and I would make this meal again. 

Enjoy!

Mexican Bean and Pepper Salad

I stumbled upon this recipe awhile back on Pinterest and tagged it to my "lunches" board. Well over the weekend I decided to start including new ideas for our lunches during the work week. We typically brown bag it everyday but we are a little tired of the same old ideas. So I dug this one out of the millions of pins I have on Pinterest (I might be slightly out of my mind on Pinterest and taking a much needed break from it). I love all kinds of beans and they have so much protein - a great way to eat a healthy lunch. The combination of the sweetness and crunch of red/green bell peppers - YUM! Add some seasonings to it and let is sit in the fridge... so easy right! It was hard not to eat it as I was making it to be honest. And, they say you eat with your eyes first - well doesn't this picture speak a thousand words????

ingredients

• 1 can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained 

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

• 8 oz roasted corn kernels

• 1 red onion, chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, diced

• 1 green bell pepper, diced

• 1 serrano pepper, seeded & minced

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1/2 lemon juiced

• 1 lime juiced

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

• 1 1/2 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp chili powder

directions

Toss all the beans, corn, peppers, garlic & cilantro in a large bowl that has a lid. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, sugar, citrus and spices. Then pour this mixture over the veggies in the larger bowl. Toss to coat thoroughly and store in fridge until ready to serve. 

The longer this salad sits in the fridge the better it tastes!

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from A Hint of Honey

Tequila Lime Chicken & Mexican Rice

I just don't understand why Q and I love Mexican food so much - it's a mystery! We had Mexican night here and it was really fun to make and tasty in our mouths. The rice was a bit challenging and almost threw a major wrench in the meal because it wasn't done in the amount of time the recipe indicated (or even close for that matter). But we just covered the chicken with foil on a plate so it would stay warm until the rice decided to soften and cook correctly, almost an hour later!

Anyway, we really enjoyed dinner and I would love to make it again. I marinated the chicken overnight so it had tons of flavor. Instead of using regular black beans I wanted to try the refried canned beans and I doctored them up with some chicken stock, cumin and cayenne - so delicious! I think I like those better than refried pinto beans actually.

Tequila Lime Chicken
2 servings

ingredients

• 1 lime
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 jalapeno, sliced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup tequila
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• refried black beans (1 can warmed through in saucepan with a bit of chicken stock, cumin & cayenne)
• Warmed flour tortillas
• Pico de gallo, avocado slices, Greek yogurt, pepper jack cheese

directions

1. Add the juice of the lime, garlic cloves, jalapeno, salt, cilantro, olive oil & tequila in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the sauce to a plastic storage bag and the chicken and let marinate overnight.

2. Remove the chicken from the bag and grill over medium high heat. Rotate 45º on both sides to create criss cross grill marks, cooking 4-5 minutes per side.

3. Slice the chicken and squeeze some lime juice all over each breast. Serve with some black beans, pico, avocado, Greek yogurt, jalapeno, cheese & tortillas

Mexican Rice
6 servings

ingredients
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups long grain brown rice
• 10 oz Hot Rotel
• 14.5 oz whole tomatoes
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2-3 cups chicken broth
• chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, halved

directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add the rice. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes stirring constantly to make sure the rice won't burn. Add rotel, tomatoes and spices and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Add 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until rice is done. Add more liquid if necessary, the rice should not be sticky. Top with cilantro for each individual serving.

The original recipe indicated the rice would be done in 10-15 minutes, umm I don't think so. After 15 minutes hardly any of the liquid had been absorbed yet. So I had to cook mine for a much longer time.. not sure if I did something wrong or if brown rice takes an extremely longer time to cook than white? Oh well, it was good after cooking for almost an hour. Since I used hot rotel, it had quite a bite to it and was fantastic in flavor.

Pico de Gallo

approximately 1 cup

ingredients

• 1/2 large red onion, minced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 roma tomatoes, minced

• 6 cherry tomatoes, chopped

• 1/2 jalapeno, minced

• 1/2 lime, zested and juiced

• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and let rest at room temperature until ready to serve. Store leftovers in a airtight container in fridge.

Q also found a new wheat beer for us to try last week so we had them with this meal - they are hoppy but have a smooth sweet edge to them. I thought I'd share so here you go...

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted by Pioneer Woman.

Breakfast Pizza

This pizza was a breakfast of champions - chock full of fresh veggies, mozzarella and Q's favorite - BACON. This one pizza was enough to feed at least 6 people for breakfast. PW's recipe called for eggs on top right before you put in the oven to cook but we've done that before and I just didn't enjoy it. So we cooked up a few over-easy eggs on the side to eat with the pizza. I would imagine if we ever did make this again I'd use some fresh green Chile from New Mexico - it just makes everything better.

Breakfast Pizza

ingredients
• 1.2 lb thick cut bacon
• 1.5 cups frozen hash browns
• 1 tbsp veg oil
• 1/2 green bell, diced
• 1 red bell, diced
• 1 lb pizza dough
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 6 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
• 3 eggs
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

directions
1. Place the bacon on top of rack on a broiler pan and start the bacon in a cold oven, set oven temp to 375 degrees. Sprinkle some black pepper on top of each slice of bacon. Bake for 25 mins and then turn the bacon over and cook for another 5 minutes. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Chop into bite-size pieces.

2.  Fry the hash browns in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat with 1/2 tbsp veg oil. Cook until they are just starting to brown. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.

3. In that same skillet, fry the bell peppers over medium-high heat in 1/2 tbsp veg oil for 5 minutes, set aside. Spread some salsa all over the dough.

4. Roll out the dough onto a lightly oiled baking sheet (use spray). Lay the mozzarella slices evenly on top of the salsa. Next, add the potatoes, peppers and the bacon. Crack the eggs over the pizza - one by one, scattered around. We omitted this step and just cooked the eggs in a skillet to over-easy temperature. Add some S&P to taste.

5. Bake for 13-15 minutes until crust is golden brown and eggs are set but slightly soft. Sprinkle each serving with fresh cilantro.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted by Pioneer Woman

Fig Prosciutto Pizza

Well it's Pizza night in our house again! As I've mentioned before, it's so easy to make your own pizza and once you have it'll be hard to buy those "frozen" pizzas at the store. I mean they are great in a pinch but not that great when you've made it yourself. Even those pre-made crusts aren't bad, but really you could use anything as your Pizza canvas - Naan bread, tortillas, english muffins, a baguette - the possibilities are Endless!

Not gonna lie - this recipe sounded weird! But most of the time the ones we are sketchy about end up being sooooo good, which ended up being the case.  So I dove in and made this pizza for us a few nights ago and the combination of sweet (Fig preserves) + salty (Prosciutto) + pepper (arugula) = Happy Mouths! :-)

The recipe is by PW (Pioneer Woman) and she really does have a beautiful cookbook! It just inspires you to cook even if you don't want to. She makes it look like art... And I love art! I am lazy when it comes to pizza dough because I haven't been able to replicate the one we buy at Publix - so I bought the pre-made dough. But, then I got a wild hair and decided to give PW's recipe a whirl for the dough as it looked so easy. The dough was better than most I've made but slightly dense and didn't have the crispy outside and airy light inside. I will probably try this recipe again just to see how it comes out.

ingredients

Pizza Dough
• 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Scant 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl

Pizza Topping
• 1/2 cup fig preserves
• kosher salt
• 12 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly (I used the log that is pre-sliced)
• 8 oz prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 12 oz arugula
• shaved Parmesan cheese

directions

Make the crust...
1.  Add the yeast to 3/4 cup warm (not lukewarm) water in a glass measuring cup (I used a 4 cup glass measuring cup) and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, add the flour and salt and with the mixture running on the lowest speed, drizzle in the olive oil slowly. Keep mixing until it's mixed through. Now, pour the yeast/water mixture and mix until JUST combined.

3. Coat a medium glass bowl with a little bit of olive oil, coating all sides of that bowl. Add the dough to the bowl forming into a ball. Toss the ball around the bowl to coat all sides in the oil so it won't stick to the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise for at least an hour or up to a few days in the fridge.

Create the pizza...

1. Preheat oven to 500º and arrange the rack to lowest position in your oven.

2. Roll out the pizza dough using flour and a bit of cornmeal to keep it from sticking. Roll the dough so it's nice and thin (but no holes). Spread a thin layer of the fig preserves over the top of the dough and season with kosher salt. Place the mozzarella slices on top of the fig preserves.

3. Bake the pizza for 15 minutes until the crust is golden all over and the cheese is melty and slightly browned. Remove from oven and drape the prosciutto slices all over the hot pizza immediately so they can get warmed through.

4. Let pizza rest 10 minutes. When serving pile some arugula and Parmesan cheese shavings on top.

This is a big pizza for 2 people so I would suggest not putting the arugula/Parmesan on top of the entire pizza so you can save the leftovers and reheat the slices then top with the arugula/Parmesan each time you serve. We ended up just eating the leftovers cold the next day for lunch - delish!

The pizza before adding the arugula and Parmesan on top

I really enjoyed this pizza - it wasn't on Q's top 5 pizzas I've made for him but he enjoyed it to say the least. He's just not a big prosciutto fan - I bought the Boar's head prosciutto from the deli for this recipe and even though it's a few bucks more it's definitely worth it!

Enjoy!

Grilled Beer & Butter Shrimp with Potatoes & Roasted Green Beans

Shrimp is such a great protein as it lends itself well to all types of flavors and cooks up so quick. Sealing them up in little packets and throwing on the grill is great not only because it cooks so fast but there aren't any pots/pans to clean up - WIN! The simple flavors of beer and Old Bay make them really tasty. The potatoes were buttery and comforting along with the sweet red onion. I also added a bit of Old Bay to those at the end as well. Now that I have a ton of green beans from the garden, I've been looking for ways to incorporate them into the meals I've planned for the week. I thought they would compliment this meal nicely and found the recipe below for a tasty roasted version with a tangy vinaigrette - DELICIOUS! The original recipe can be found via Food Network here:  Shrimp & Potatoes. I cut the recipe in half and added a side dish of fresh green beans from the garden.

Beer & Butter Shrimp with Potatoes
& Roasted Green Beans with Dill Vinaigrette

Grilled Beer & Butter Shrimp with Potatoes
2 servings

ingredients

• 3/4 lb small red potatoes, halved
• 1/2 medium red onion, cut into wedges
• 1.5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• Kosher salt & fresh black pepper
• 6 oz bottle wheat beer (I used Boulevard 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat), drink the other half!
• 20 medium shrimp, peeled & deveined (leave those tails on!)
• 1/2 tsp Old Bay
• 1/8 cup fresh parsley, chopped

directions

1. Preheat grill to medium high heat. Stack 2 large sheets of foil, add the potatoes and onion to the center fold up the sides sort of in a bowl shape and add 1 tbsp butter, 1/4 tsp salt and one-third of the beer. Lay another piece of foil over top and crimp the edges to seal the package. Grill covered for 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

2. Stack 2 more large sheets of foil and place the shrimp in the center. In a small bowl toss the shrimp with the Old Bay seasoning. Fold up the sides again into a bowl shape, add the shrimp and remaining beer. Dot the top of the shrimp with the 1/2 tbsp butter cubes. Lay another piece of foil over top and crimp the edges like you did with the taters.

3. When there are only 4 minutes left for potatoes/onions, then add the shrimp package to the grill. Cook 4 minutes. Sprinkle the veggies with the parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Also, pour some of the juices from the shrimp over top.

I served the shrimp in a separate bowl so I could pour the juices over them and we could dip the shrimp in the juices as we ate them. Otherwise, they would be running all over the plate.

Grilled Beer & Butter Shrimp

Green Beans with Dill Vinaigrette

2 servings

ingredients

• 1 lb green beans, trimmed
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Dress the beans with 1/2 tbsp oil and 1/4 tsp kosher salt. Using tongs, toss around until well coated on a baking sheet.

2. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, tossing occasionally.

3. In a mixing bowl, whisk vinegar, mustard, sugar, 1/8 tsp salt/pepper. Once combined, drizzle the oil in a steady stream while whisking vigorously to create an emulsion. If the oil seems to separate stop pouring and whisk until the mixture is emulsified then start the oil again. Stir in fresh dill.

4. Add the green beans to the vinaigrette and toss together until well coated.

This recipe was adapted from Good Housekeeping Cookbook.

The beans came out way overcooked compared to how we liked them, but the vinaigrette was sooooo good. So I would definitely make these again and use the recipe cook time and oven temperature set above. I followed the recipe of 450º for 20 minutes and they were overdone and had lost most of their texture. My I harvested all of my dill plant before it went to seed about a month ago. I put 1 tbsp of chopped fresh dill in each hole of 2 ice cube trays, froze them and store them in a Ziploc in the freezer. That way, when I need some fresh dill for a recipe, just take it out set the bowl on the back of the oven (if it's on) so the heat can help defrost the cubes indirectly. I squeeze out the excess water and use it in the meal! 

Enjoy!

Open Face Roasted Tomato BLT's

Last night I made these open faced BLT's - they sounded and looked so good in the magazine (Food Network) but they weren't an A+++. They were good but not the best BLT I've ever put in my mouth. I would give them a B... so they are tasty just not FANTASTICALLY irresistible. You can find the original recipe here: BLT's.  I changed a few things and here is how I made them...

Open Faced BLT's

ingredients
• 4 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/3 cup homemade mayo (recipe to follow)
• 1 tbsp horseradish
• 1small head savoy cabbage, sliced
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 8 slices thick cut apple wood bacon
• 4 slices thick cut bread (I used whole wheat)
• 1 tbsp fresh dill
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar

directions
1. Preheat the oven to 250º. Place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, on top of the racks. Drizzle with some olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Roast until slightly dry around the edges of the tomatoes which will take about 3 hours, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. If you think you will be short on  time you can do this the day before and store them in the fridge.

2. Whisk the mayo, horseradish & pepper to taste, cover and store in fridge.

3. Toss the cabbage, red onion, 1 tbsp water and 1/2 tsp salt in a colander and set over a bowl. Let the cabbage drain and it will begin to soften for about 30 - 45 minutes. Rinse completely and pat dry. It's a good idea to squeeze out any excess liquid as well. Note:  I only let the cabbage sit for 20 minutes and it would've been more tender so let it sit 30-45 minutes.

4. You can either fry the bacon in a skillet or you can roast it in the oven which I prefer. To roast the bacon click HERE for recipe. Make sure to reserve about 1 tsp of the bacon drippings regardless of how you cook the bacon.

5. Toast the slices of bread. Toss the cabbage/onion mixture with 1 tsp bacon drippings, dill, vinegar, S&P in a bowl. On each piece of bread spread some horseradish, mayo, 2 slices bacon, 2 tomato halves and top with the cabbage mixture. Drizzle with a tiny bit of bacon drippings if desired.

Homemade MAYO
1 cup

Homemade Mayo

ingredients
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg yolk at room temp
• 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
• kosher salt & pepper

directions
Combine the 2 oils in a glass measuring cup. Whisk the egg yolk and the vinegar together in a glass bowl, add 1/4 tsp salt. Whisking constantly slowly drizzle the oil into the bowl until it's smooth and thick. If the oil is not emulsifying then stop adding the oil and whisk the mixture until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in air tight container in fridge for up to 4 days.

Wow! This came out really good even though my arm is still really sore from all the whisking... it's funny because about halfway through whisking the oil into the egg yolk I thought why in the heck am I not using my stand mixer with the whisk attachment. I had a moment and just finished by hand... note to self. I would imagine you could flavor this with all sorts of things but per the recipe it only lasts for 4 days in the fridge so you would have to use it up fast!


Enjoy!

Fettuccine with Tomato Cream Sauce & Salad with Creamy Italian Dressing

Another great meal by cooking from my Pioneer Woman cookbook! I mean this cookbook is just so fun because of the photos she gives, the vibrant colors/design and her sense of humor - I love it! So it was a Monday and we went meatless. I pretty much followed the recipe, well pretty much - Ha!

I threw a bunch of "things" together to make an Italian salad. I had bread cubes in the freezer to use for croutons (these take about 5 minutes to thaw on the counter), kalamata olives, pepperoncini's, green beans (from the garden, I might add), sliced red onion, lettuce and a quick recipe for Creamy Italian dressing. I love it when I can use up some things in the fridge and put together something really tasty with them. I served the salad with the dreamy pasta and here we go....

Fettuccine with Tomato Cream Sauce
6-8 servings

ingredients
• 16 oz fettuccine
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 onions, finely diced
• 5 cloves garlic, shaved
• 32 oz marinara sauce (I used classico)
• Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
• Dash of sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• handful of chopped fresh basil

directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid before you drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet, then add the onions and garlic. I use a ribbon grater to grate the garlic right over the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes so the onions are translucent in color. Pour in the tomato sauce (carefully!) and season with salt, pepper and some sugar. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the (room temperature) heavy cream and stir until well combined. Keep pan over low heat and add the grated Parmesan, stirring.

4. Drain the pasta and add to the pot with the sauce. Using tongs gently toss until the noodles are well coated. If sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta cooking water to loosen up.

5. When serving top the pasta with the fresh basil and some additional Parmesan.

If you wanted to add meat to this dish I imagine grilled chicken or shrimp would go really well. So I am trying something new - since this made so much and I already had lunches planned this week, I put the leftover in a gallon ziploc, laying flat put in the freezer. I hope it holds up and tastes just as delicious when we got to make it for dinner down the road.

I have mentioned this before, but I love making homemade dressing - it just tastes so fresh and just better for you - you control what goes in it! This one is from the little booklet "50 Salad Dressings" that came with a FN magazine. This little guy stays in one of my drawers in the kitchen so I have it handy.

Creamy Italian Dressing
makes about 1 cup

ingredients
• 1/4 cup olive oil mayo with black pepper
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried italian seasoning
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

directions
Blend up all ingredients except parsley. Remove from blender and pour into a small bowl/jar. Add the chopped parsley and stir to combine.

Serve as a dip or on top of you favorite combo of veggies and/or salad.

Enjoy!

BBQ Spareribs & Macaroni Egg Salad

We have been craving some pork ribs here lately so I picked this recipe out in my Food Network magazine and decided to give it a whirl. It's a lengthy recipe and takes at least 4 hours of cooking time so it's a great meal for Sundays which is when we made it. I decided to make the marinade, the rub and BBQ sauce the morning of. I completely forgot that I was supposed to marinate the ribs overnight but they still came out delicious after only 4.5 hours of marinating in the fridge. I made the BBQ sauce and just let it sit out at room temperature all day. I only cooked 2 small racks since there is just the 2 of us but made full amount of rub and BBQ sauce to freeze.

The recipe can be found online: BBQ Spareribs

We have a propane grill, so I let 2 cups of apple wood chips soak in cold water for about 45 minutes. Then, created a pouch with foil and  placed the drained chips inside. We sealed it up tightly and poked holes all over so the smoke could escape and  placed this on the side of the grill with the flame on. After about 10 minutes the smoke started to develop and we threw the ribs on. The ribs were so flavorful and really tender. The BBQ sauce is tangy and has more of a vinegar base to it - surprisingly enough Q loved it (even though he abhors Vinegar!). So all in all these ribs came out great and I would definitely make them again!

Now onto the Macaroni Egg Salad - this was a real quick side that came together in about 30 minutes. I made it about 2 hours before the ribs were going to be done and let chill in the fridge while we were waiting. This was also an epic find from Food Network's recent issue and can be found here: Macaroni Egg Salad. I used 1/2 green bell pepper in place of celery only because I didn't have any celery on hand. I also whisked up the ingredients until well combined before I added the egg and cooked pasta.

I would say that if we had a charcoal grill we might be able to taste the smoke flavor more as the propane grill isn't that effective in our experience with the "foil technique". But there were some subtle hints of the smoke flavor just not enough to get excited about!

Don't forget to serve the ribs with some delicious sauce on the side too!

Enjoy!

Bloody Mary Steak with Avocado Radish Salads

These 2 recipes came from the latest Food Network Magazine, one of which is by Guy Fieri! The steak didn't come out perfect but that's probably because I used skirt steak (It's what I had on hand) and our grill isn't awesome. So, the meat got overcooked, however, the flavors were really great! The salad was very light and delicious - the kick from the hot sauce in the dressing was really good too. Here's how we made it...

Blood Mary Steak

for 2

ingredients

• 1/2 cup spicy hot V8 juice

• 1/8 cup vodka

• 1 tsp each sea salt & freshly ground pepper

• 1 tsp hot sauce (Frank's)

• 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 clove garlic crushed

• 1/2 tsp each onion powder & celery seed

• 1/2 tbsp prepared horseradish

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 - 3/4 lb strip steak 

directions

1. Make the marinade by combining the first 9 ingredients together in a Ziploc storage bag. Add the steak and squish around until the meat is fully immersed in the liquid. Place the sealed bag in a bowl (just in case it leaks and you don't want this mess in your fridge) and marinate for 24 hours.

2. Preheat the grill to high. Let meat sit at room temp for 30 minutes. Remove meat from marinade and blot off excess sauce from the meat on both sides.

3. Grill the meat for 2 minutes on each side, if you are using a thicker cut of meat just adjust the cooking time accordingly. Skirt steak is really thin and cooks quickly.

4. Let meat rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. 

Avocado Radish Salads

for 2

ingredients

• 1 avocado, chopped

• 1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion

• 4-5 radishes, thinly sliced

• cilantro leaves 

• 1 tbsp Greek yogurt

• 1/2 lemon juiced

• 1 tbsp Frank's hot sauce

• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

directions

1. Soak the red onion in ice water for 20 minutes, drain and pat dry. Place in a bowl and mix together with the radishes, cilantro leaves, feta & avocado. 

2. Combine the yogurt, lemon juice and hot sauce in a small bowl.

3. Drizzle the yogurt sauce over the salad and split between 2 plates.

The longer you soak the red onions the less potent the flavor will be. We really enjoyed this dinna, Yummmmmmmmm!

Enjoy!

Shaved Squash & Tomato Pasta

I'm cooking from the latest issue of the FN magazine... always a fave!  Lots of good grub on our menu this week.

We had a meatless pasta dish this week and it was packed withs o much flavor and only a few ingredients. I love the taste of fresh basil and what makes it even better is that I can just walk out my back door and snip some off of my plant. I will say my basil plant is tiny so I have had to be a little bit more patient this year but I guess we are getting too much rain for this little guy. I cut some of the ingredients in half and we still had enough for 4-5 servings! Jeez Louise!

ingredients
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
• 8 oz short rigatoni
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow squash
• 1 lb ripe tomatoes (I used the ones on the vine), chopped
• handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
• handful of grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella

directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil. Tip:  It goes faster if you first fill the pot with hot water (from the tap) and second, if you keep the pot covered until it comes up to a boil. Pour in the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup - 1 cup of the cooking water in a mug and then drain the pasta.

2. While the pasta is cooking, slice the squash with a mandolin on the 1/8" setting. Pile the long slices on top of one another and then slice in strips length wise. Combine the squash, tomatoes, olive oil, 1 tsp salt & pepper, garlic and basil in a large bowl. Toss until well combined.

3. Add the Parmesan and mozzarella to the bowl as well and mix until evenly distributed then add the hot pasta and mix thoroughly. Add some cooking water to the bowl to moisten as needed. Taste, and season with S&P if needed. Serve in shallow bowls and top with a slight drizzle of olive oil and some Parmesan.

My advice is to chop up all of your ingredients, measure everything and get it all ready to go before you start mixing and cooking things, etc. The only real cooking in this meal is boiling the water. So, if  you have all of your ingredients ready to go I'd say this dinner would come together in 15 minutes or so. This dish will come to room temperature pretty quickly and it's best that way or served cold because you won't lose the consistency of the juicy ripe tomatoes. We had leftovers for lunch the next day and it was great cold! I think cherry or grape tomatoes wold be just as delicious as well. The original recipe calls for heirloom tomatoes but they are really pricey at my local store so I just picked up the ones that were on sale.

This recipe was adapted from Food Network Magazine.

Enjoy!

Lasagna Rolls with Italian Salad

I made it a freezer meal the other night - a homemade freezer meal, that is. I had some delicious lasagna rolls with spinach in the freezer so it was an easy peasy meal! I also defrosted some meat sauce, Italian bread and bread cubes to make croutons. You can find all these recipes on my past posts on the blog but here are some quick links.

Lasagna Rolls
Meat Sauce
Italian Dressing

Salad for two

ingredients
• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
• Croutons
• Italian dressing

directions
Mix all the ingredients together in two bowls and top with croutons and dressing.

Croutons

For the croutons, I had pre-toasted bread cubes (french bread) in the freezer. I defrosted them at room temperature. Pour 1 tbsp olive oil in a non stick skillet and over medium heat toss the cubes in the oil until coated. Season with salt, pepper and garlic salt and toss. Serve on top of salads.

Lasagna Rolls

serves 2

ingredients

• 4 lasagna rolls

• Meat sauce

• shredded mozzarella

directions

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a nonstick baking dish with cooking spray. Place 4 lasagna rolls side by side in the dish and top with some meat sauce. Bake for 30 minutes. Pull out of the oven and top with some shredded mozzarella cheese and bake for 5 minutes at 400º until cheese melts. 

I also heated up a small loaf of Italian bread in the oven for 5 minutes or so until warmed through and served with this meal.

Enjoy!

BBQ Drumsticks and Alfredo Mac 'n Cheese

We were supposed to feast on this delicious meal for the 4th, however, due to the inclement weather we had pretty much all week and into the weekend, that didn't really happen. The reason for this is we really wanted to grill the drumsticks because you can really get them crispy and sticky. So this one was put on hold until tonight! I really loved the BBQ sauce I made several weeks ago and am using it again for the chicken here.

I made the yummy, cheesy, decadent mac n cheese from a Food Network recipe. There's always a fold out booklet in each issue of the magazine and they are called "50 somethings". Each month its a different type of food you can make 50 different ways. So I picked this one out of the Mac N Cheese variety booklet. Anyway, here's how you make both the chicken and comforting mac n cheese. Oh yeah and they'll be plenty of the pasta to indulge in later - not sure if that's a good or bad thing?!?!?

BBQ Chicken Drumsticks
serves 2

ingredients
• 4 skin on chicken drumsticks
• Kosher salt & Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce (click here for homemade recipe)
• 1/2 tbsp fresh chives, minced

directions
1. Preheat the grill over medium high heat. Let chicken drumsticks sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. Baste with olive oil and season with Salt and Pepper on all sides.

2. Grill for 7-8 minutes on first side, then flip over and grill for another 8-10 minutes until cooked through and charred slightly. Start basting the chicken with the BBQ sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Don't start basting the chicken until it's almost done as the sauce will start to burn otherwise.

3. Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chives right before serving.


Alfredo Mac 'n Cheese with Artichoke Hearts & Fresh Herbs
4-6 servings

ingredients
• Kosher Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 8 oz penne pasta
• 1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter (at room temp)
• 2 cups heavy cream (at room temp)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus a little extra for topping)
• 1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley & rosemary, chopped

directions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil, then cook the pasta according the package instructions. Save about 1 cup of the cooking water before you drain. Drain the pasta in a colander. Wipe out the pot so it is dry.

2. Rub the smashed garlic clove in the same pot you used to cook the pasta, reserve the garlic clove and mince up on a cutting board. Add the butter to the pot and melt over medium-high heat, once melted add the minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute, then add the cream, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper to taste and bring to boiling, stir occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the liquid has reduced to about one-third. This will take about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and artichoke hearts.

3. Add the pasta to the pot and stir. Next add 1/4 cup of the cooking water at a time to get the sauce to the consistency you want it, thicker is better. I only added about 1/4 cup and that's all I needed for this batch. Taste and season to taste with salt & pepper. Stir in the chopped rosemary and parsley.

4. When serving, top with some grated Parmesan.

A quick tip when using fresh herbs - if you have a recipe that uses dried herbs you can always use fresh to substitute but will have to double the amount to bring out the fresh flavors. The only exception to this is fresh oregano... if you use too much it ends up tasting like perfume - Yuck. But just the right amount is great! Rosemary, is a very strong herb as well, so use it carefully as well. The best bet is to use a little, taste, and add more if needed because you can't take it out of the meal once it's in.

I also always snip off the fresh herbs from the plant right before I am going to start prepping for a meal, then wash and dry them. I remove the leaves from the stems and hold off on chopping them up until right before I am going to use them. It's best to use fresh herbs in the last stage of cooking (with heat), otherwise, they lose most of their fresh flavor if you put them in at the beginning. There are always exceptions, but for the most part I stick to that motto.

Here are a few of my herbs from my garden this year...

Spearmint, Sage, Thyme, Flat Leaf Parsley,
Chives, Rosemary & Basil

Enjoy!

Quick & Easy Pudding Pops

I remember eating pudding pops as a kid and just loving them... I seem to have a problem finding the Jello brand anymore though. I figured it has to be pretty easy to make these, right? Make some jello and freeze it instead of putting it in the fridge.

You will need some sort of Popsicle molds for this venture. I bought mine a few years ago on Amazon but you can find them at Target or Walmart as well. I find with the brand I have that running a little bit of warm water over the bottom will ease the removal of the Popsicle from the mold.

Here's the basic info on how to make approximately 10 pops:

ingredients
• 1 pkg chocolate pudding mix
• 2 cups cold milk (I used whole)
• Popsicle molds

Combine the pudding mix and milk in a large measuring cup, whisking until combined and there are no lumps. Make sure you do this quickly as the jello starts to thicken pretty fast. Once combined, pour into the molds. Put in freezer until fully set, at least overnight.

I used a 4 cup measuring cup to make this so it was easier to pour the mixture into each mold, otherwise you'll have a big mess on your hands. :-) I got the wooden Popsicle sticks at Walmart to use with my molds. Some molds come with plastic handles, etc as well.

They did come out on the thicker side, so next time I make these I might try using 1-2% milk to see if that makes a difference or not. They taste really good though!

Enjoy!

Italian Burger with Ravioli Salad

This meal was quite a special treat mid week for us... better than you could get in a restaurant if I'd say so myself. A juicy burger with lots of yummy toppings, Italian Style. And a freshly made ravioli pasta salad = sign me up! I adapted the 2 recipes below from Food Network and they complimented each other well. We cooked this meal together tonight because there were a few extra steps to put it together. He handled the meat!!! We used our trusty cast iron skillet to get the perfect sear on each side of the burger. The grated onion in the burger helps keep the meat moist and the hint of liquid smoke sent it over the edge or wait maybe it was the fried salami. Yes I said fried salami, I've never had it and it was fantastically delicious!

We actually high-fived after eating the burgers because they were that good. So I would suggest that you try this recipe - it's an A++++! Here's how we made it...


Italian Burgers for Two

ingredients

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lb ground chuck
• 1 tbsp grated white onion
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• dash of liquid smoke
• salt & pepper
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 4 slices salami
• 2 tbsp ricotta cheese
• handful of arugula
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 burger buns, toasted

directions

1. Heat up oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Cook for 5-7 minutes until golden brown on edges. Season with salt & pepper and pour in small bowl, set aside.

2. Meanwhile, mix the beef, onion, garlic, liquid smoke, salt and pepper in a bowl until just combined. Form two patties and make a thumbprint in the center. This will help keep the burger flat while it's cooking as the meat tends to plump up.

3. When the shrooms are done, Add the salami to the hot skillet and cook until crispy on both sides. Drain on paper towel lined plate, set aside.

4. Turn the heat up to medium-high under the same skillet and add the burgers. Cook 2 minutes on the first side, then additional 2 minutes on second side for medium. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes as they will continue to cook off the heat.

5. Toss the arugula with the balsamic vinegar and set aside.

6. Smear some ricotta on the bottom bun, top with burger, salami, shrooms and arugula. Then top her off with the bun and she's ready to eat.

If you can find fresh ricotta that would be best, but I can never find it at the regular grocery stores near us so I always buy regular ricotta. I let it drain in a mesh strainer over a bowl for at least 30 minutes before I used it. By doing this it isn't as watered down and you end up with a creamy consistency. Cold Ricotta is very difficult to spread so let it come to room temperature as well.

Ravioli Salad (serves 6)

ingredients
• 24 oz frozen mini cheese filled ravioli
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• zest & juice of 1/2 lemon
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

directions

1. Soak the red onion in ice water for 20 minutes, drain and pat dry. Place in a large bowl that has a lid for storage.

2. Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water and add to the bowl along with the tomatoes, olives and parsley.

3. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, juice, garlic, 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper in bowl then pour over salad in large bowl. Using a rubber spatula gently mix all the ingredients until they are combined. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.

I think I have a love affair with anything pasta, I mean I LOVE PASTA! This salad was a really cool way of integrating cheese and pasta into a "pasta salad". I think I will whip this up next time we have a game night or a cookout... it complimented the burger very well. And personally I could just eat the salad alone but that's just me. And... we have plenty leftover for lunch for the rest of the week.

Eating good food just makes me happy, plain and simple.

Enjoy!